Flue cleaner



INVENTOR JOHN HEFLE ATTORNEYS J. Hl-:FLE

. FLUE CLEANER Filed sept. 15. 1941 May 26, 1942.

7 dnl Patented May Z6, 1942 parso stress 1 Claim.

My invention refers to flue cleaners of any type and particularly to chimney ilues usually rectangular in cross section. One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide a cleaner brush having a plurality of brush units upon different planes whereby the brush when in a cleaning operation, traveling up and down the chimney walls will not tend to cramp or bind in its travel, due to brush contact with the walls.

. Another object of my invention is to provide a series of brush elements, under spring control with manual means for contracting the same, when the brush is inserted in the chimney flue, it being understood that each group of brush elements is under independent spring control.

A still further object of my invention is to provide the top and bottom brush elements rectangular in form and diagonally disposed, whereby sharp corners of the chimney are thoroughly cleansed.

With the above and other minor objects in view, my invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as will be hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawing and subsequently claimed.

In the drawing- Figure 1 represents a plan View of my flue brush, the same being illustrated in contact with the walls of a rectangular chimney.

Figure 2 a side elevation of the same, illustrating in dotted diagrammatical form means for raising and lowering the brush.

Figure 3 a plan sectional view of said brush section being indicated by line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figurel a detailed fragmentary cross section illustrating a pair of the oppositely disposed parallel brush units under spring control.

Figure 5 a magnied cross section of a rail upon which the spring control brush element is mounted. The section being indicated by line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a similar cross sectional view of the brush element, the section being indicated by line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Figure '7 a detailed plan View ofV one of the rectangular brush elements.

Figure 8 a similar View of one of the straight sections being diagonally disposed with relation to each other and arranged to operate in pairs. For brevity in description the upper brush heads 5 have inwardly extending therefrom pairs of plunger rods 6, 6. The plunger rods'are respectively mounted in guide tracks 'I secured to the frame section I, and for simplicity in construction, these guide tracks, as best shown in Figure 5, are constructed in two parts forming a rectangular hollow channel 8 into which channel the plunger bars 6, travel.

Interposed between the inner ends of the plunger bars are compression coil springs 9, whereby the brush elements 5 are extended or spread apart to thus exert pressure upon flat sections of the rectangular chimney wall and corners thereof.

The intermediate brush elements I0 and I0' are similar in structural features to the top and bottom brush sections, with the exception that each companion pair of these brushes are formed in a straight central section, and in'conjunction with the upper and lower brush elements. As shown in Figure 2, the pair of intermediate brush elements I0, are positioned in the frame at a right angle to the companion brush element I0. Thus, the two sets of intermediate brush elements complete the area of contact with walls of the chimney, when considered in connection with the top and bottom rectangular corner brush sections. The intermediate brush sections are similarly mounted in the frame to the mounting previously described in connection with the top brush element 5.

For example, the brush heads Ill have. extending therefrom parallel plunger bars II, which are mounted in guide rails 'I, opposed by springs 9. In order to simultaneously retract all of the brush elements, when said brush is inserted into a chimney I provide a centrally disposed rocking rod l2, mounted in bearing blocks I3 secured to the guide rails of the upper and lower frame elements. The rod has secured thereto a double crank lever I4 for each set of brush heads and said levers are connected with associated brush elements by rods I5 pivoted to said brush elements and its corresponding lever. The bottom end of the rocking rod is preferably shown as a crank for manual manipulation and both ends of said rod carry eyes to which may be attached an endless cable guided upon rollers, as indicated byldotted lines Figure 2, whereby the brush as a Whole may be raised and lowered in the chimney.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the brush can readily be inserted in a. chimney by contracting the plurality of brush elements in a manual operation, whereby the rod I2 is rotated. Thereafter the rod is released and al1 of the brush elements exert independent spring pressure upon the vwalls of the chimney; whereby it may be thoroughly cleansed as they brush elements spaced upon different planes j K Y ing each pair of brush heads with the rod wherethere is no liability of said-brush being locked or cramped in this movement.

While I have shown and described a simple exemplication of my invention minutely as to detail, it is understood that I may vary such details within the scope of the claim.

I claim:

A ue cleaner comprising a rectangular skeleton frame v including a plurality of connected superposed rectangular sections spaced apart and secured together, which frame section having tracks, oppositely disposed brush heads movable on said tracks, plunger bars extending therefrom toward the center of said frame, expansion springs interposed between companion opposed plunger bars, a centrally disposed rocking rod mounted in the frame andrcrank arms connectby all brush elements may be simultaneously retracted.

JOHN I-IEFLE. 

